‘Walking Dead’ Season 4 Comic-to-TV Comparison: “The Grove”

AMC: Along the road to Terminus, Carol, Tyreese, Lizzie, Mika and Judith find an isolated house that apparently maintains its own well of fresh water, and a fully-functional gas stove, among other amenities. After a night or two, Tyreese begins to wonder if the five should stay at the relatively secure house permanently, given the uncertainty and untrustworthiness of anyone they might find at “Terminus.” After the deaths of Lizzie and Mika however, Tyreese and Carol agree to leave it behind.

THE COMICS: Keeping in mind that Tyreese and Carol had long since expired in the books, Dale and Andrea managed to find a nearby house in the group’s journey toward Washington D.C., to which Dale suggested they settle down permanently along with twin boys Billy and Ben (Lizzie and Mika’s closest comic counterparts). Dale even went as far as to declare to Rick their intent to stay, but the point was quickly made moot by the approach of a massive herd of walkers Rick, Abraham, Carl and now Morgan had inadvertently led to their position. Dale accepted that the house wouldn’t have been safe, though he certainly resented Rick for ruining the option.

AMC: Though it admittedly seems fans of ‘The Walking Dead’ will ship together just about any two characters paired for long enough, Tyreese genuinely seems to open up to Carol as he relays how Karen haunts his dreams, and makes him feel as if the living will always be haunted by the dead. Despite keeping her own secrets for the moment, Carol optimistically shares that the dead might better be viewed as reminders of their own survival, before the pair share a hug.

THE COMICS: Tyreese initially joined Rick’s group just after leaving the Atlanta campsite, quickly becoming an item with Carol. The relationship lasted into the prison, until Tyreese succumbed to Michonne’s advances, and Carol slit her wrists in grief. Carol survived, but shortly thereafter found another, more gruesome means to end her life, while Tyreese remained romantically involved with Michonne up to his death at the hands of the Governor

AMC: Having repeatedly protested the innocent nature of walkers, Lizzie apparently stabs her sister to death in order to prove to Carol and Tyreese that the “change” won’t affect Mika in the way they believe. Lizzie pulls a gun on Carol and Tyreese to make sure they don’t hurt her sister’s brain, but ultimately relents, revealing in the process that she’d planned a similar “change” for Judith next. Later, Tyreese confirms that it was Lizzie who fed rats to the walkers, and dissected a rabbit back in the tombs.

THE COMICS: Almost note for note, this story has been lifted from twin comic characters Ben and Billy, as Ben too displayed some troubling signs of misunderstanding about life and death, before stabbing his brother Billy to death. Andrea found the two, as Ben similarly suggested that he hadn’t hurt his brother’s brain, though Ben neither attempted to raise a gun, nor had he ever gone so far as to playfully interact with walkers. Ben had never been seen to feed any of the ghouls either, though Billy had once stumbled upon Ben toying with the insides of a stray cat he’d killed.

AMC: With Lizzie isolated for the moment, Carol repeatedly stresses to Tyreese that the girl can’t be allowed around other people, going so far as to suggest she might take Lizzie along with her on a separate path, away from Judith. Both Carol and Tyreese come to an apparent understanding about Lizzie, as Carol next takes the girl outside, assuring her she isn’t mad about Lizzie raising her gun at them, before asking Lizzie to concentrate on a nearby flower patch. With Lizzie’s back turned, Carol tearfully pulls her gun and ends the young girl’s life, before she and Tyreese bury the siblings.

THE COMICS: Given that Ben’s actions took place while the survivors remained grouped together, much more debate over how best to handle the situation took place. It was Abraham who first posed the grim notion they might have to kill Ben, given they lacked the skills to provide him any reasonable psychological help, and certainly couldn’t trust him in the future. Erstwhile guardians Dale and Andrea naturally opposed, though the matter was tabled for the moment. That night however, Carl took it on his own to sneak into the van where Ben had been held, and kill the boy under cover of darkness. The group at large never found out Carl’s actions, though Morgan had seen from afar, and Carl would later confess to Rick.

AMC: Given all they’d been through that day, Carol takes it on herself to turn over her gun, and confess that it was she who had killed Karen and David, hoping to stem the spread of the infection for the good of the larger group. Tyreese bristles with anger, but ultimately opts against seeking revenge on Carol, and quietly forgiving her for a difficult, but necessary decision.

THE COMICS: Karen and David’s death were something of an analogue for the youngest Greene children, Rachel and Susie, who were mysteriously murdered shortly after arriving to the prison. The killer was shortly thereafter revealed as prison inmate Thomas, who attempted to take Andrea’s life before Rick nearly beat him to death. In the end, the group voted to hang Thomas for his crimes, but Maggie shot him during an attempted escape before the execution could take place.